taken 5 years ago, near to Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, Great Britain

For a portrait of James Campbell, laird of Tullichewan, see Link (at ArtUK).

The inscription on the upper part of the memorial is as follows:

"To the memory of James Campbell of Tullichewan, born 31st March 1823, and who passed away 14th August 1901, erected by his loving wife.
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Thou art gone from my gaze
Like a beautiful dream
Until the day dawn and the
Shadows flee away.
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His wife Jessie Campbell LLD,
daughter of James Black
of Cross Arthurlie,
Born 26th March 1827 died 10th Feb 1907.
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He giveth his beloved sleep."

(The four-line poetic extract is a mixture: the first two lines, by George Linley, are from a nineteenth-century song, but the last two are from Song of Solomon 2:17.)

An account of the Campbells of Tullichewan is given on pages 164-165 of Donald MacLeod's "Historic Families ... of the Lennox" (1891), from which the following details are taken. James' father William was an offshoot of the Melfort branch of the Campbells of Argyll, and prospered as a partner in the wholesale drapery business. William purchased the Tullichewan estate in 1843; at around the same time he also acquired Auchendennan and Bromley.

(Tullichewan Castle, demolished in 1954, was at about NS38158112. As for the other two estates mentioned, NS3683 : Auchendennan House is still in existence, and Bromley House, now gone, was at about NS38618071, where there is now a car park for the Vale of Leven Hospital.)

William died in 1864. His son James, who was Deputy-Lieutenant of the county when MacLeod was writing, became laird of Tullichewan in his stead. In business, he became a partner in his father's firm (Messrs J & W Campbell & Co, Glasgow), and he later became its head. He married Janet Black (she was always known as Jessie) on the 21st of April 1846. Cross Arthurlie, the home of her father James Black, was at c.NS49875898, in what is now Barrhead.

In 1901, Jessie Black was awarded an honorary degree by Glasgow University, in recognition of her work in promoting higher education for women.

The cemetery is located at the foot of the hills to the west of Alexandria, and the first interment took place here in August of 1881. The land for the cemetery had been purchased from P.B.Smollett of Bonhill (Patrick Boyle Smollett, second son of Admiral John Rouet Smollett). The cemetery was laid out in 1880 according to the plans of James Wilson of Greenock, and the work was carried out by Boyle and Tonner, contractors from Johnstone.

The lodge at the entrance of the cemetery was built by William Barlas of Alexandria, and the entrance gates themselves were made by Glasgow's Saracen Foundry [reference for all of the above information: Donald MacLeod's "Historic Families, Notable People, and Memorabilia of the Lennox" (1891)].

The entrance gates themselves, as well as some of the memorials in the cemetery, are category B listed. A listed building report provides further information: Link (at Historic Environment Scotland).

The cemetery, as originally laid out in 1880, was wholly located to the north of the burn, and provided 2831 lairs. When additional ground was purchased in 1898, this increased the number of lairs to 4895.

There have been several more extensions since then, which have added ground lying to the south of the burn (in fact, the greater part of the cemetery's area now lies to the south of the burn); the burn itself is crossed by two bridges within the cemetery.